Blogs

The Best Construction Management Software

By Haris Saeed posted 13 hours ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
What is construction management software , and why do you need it? The answer is simple: you need construction management software (CMS) because it helps you do your job better. Construction management software is a tool that architects, engineers, and construction companies use in order to streamline their project communication, documentation, and overall workflow. On any work-site, construction management software helps professionals collaborate on projects from any internet-connected device. If you need to look at or edit a drawing, construction management software allows to edit remotely from your phone, tablet, or other mobile device, as well as a regular ...
0 comments

2019’s Trending Kitchen Backsplash Designs

By Ashton Blagden posted 18 hours ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
Can you think of your kitchen without a proper backsplash?  It’s no less than a decade now that it has become one of the integral parts of any kitchen remodel . Apart from just protecting the walls, present above the work area, backsplash acts as a fine complement for the countertop. Moreover, over a period of time, the design and look of backsplashes have come a long way. In the early years, it was all about some colorful types with fruit and vegetable graphics adorning the 4x4 ceramic tiles.   However, the scenario has changed up to a great extent  The year 2018 has gifted us with an amazing luxury to install a myriad of materials like glass, ...
0 comments

2019 AIA COD Conferences | The innovators and maintainers

By David B. Greenbaum FAIA posted 2 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
2019 Conference Theme: “The innovators and maintainers” Innovation in Architecture, Infrastructure, & Technology Letter from the Chair It is my great pleasure to serve as the 51 st chair of the American Institute of Architects Committee on Design for 2019. In addition to the ongoing work of the Committee including a focus on Firm Award and Gold Medal recommendations, as well as recommendations for Honorary Fellows, we have been busy planning two conferences for this upcoming year. There are so many wonderful places and works of architecture to visit in this world. So how do we decide where to go that is meaningful to our work and practice? ...
0 comments

Guide for mid century modern

By Katy Brut posted 2 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
Mid-century modern (mid-century modern) has become the main interior trend of 2016. This elegant, recognizable style was formed in the 50s of the last century at the junction of bauhaus , constructivism, American and other areas based on the principles of simplicity and functionality. Post-war design is also called the dandy style, since eccentricity and a sense of proportion are masterfully combined in it. Ideally, interiors in the mid-century style suggest spacious areas, open plan and large-scale glazing, which unites living space with exterior . But, if you approach the issue with skill, even in a small apartment you can create an intelligent, ...
0 comments

President’s Letter

By Vincent Della Donna AIA posted 3 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
As I reflect on all that has been accomplished in 2018, I want to thank the AAH Board, Committee members, and the AIA staff for their dedication, hard work, and tireless efforts throughout the year. I introduced 2018 with a goal to ensure strategy is maintained and administered and our mission… provide knowledge which supports healthy environments through education and networking… and vision… serving as the authoritative voice for the design of healthy environments… are realized. The tactics used to realize the goal were twofold: focus the AAH Board on strategy rather than operations and increase our relationships both internally (AIA) and externally. Strategy ...
0 comments

AIA AAH STERIS Student Design Charrette Celebrates 30 years at HCD

By Sara J. Shumbera Assoc. AIA posted 3 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
The AIA AAH STERIS Student Design Charrette is a 48-hour design charrette performed annually at the Healthcare Design Conference (HCD). This Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) program has been running consecutively for the last 30 years. The mission of the charrette is to promote health care education and encourage students to become health care professionals after graduation. This program has nurtured relationships and students into the health care architecture field through the sponsorship of STERIS and countless volunteers.  The AAH’s oversized thank you card shows how thankful people are to STERIS for the charrette through the years. This program ...
0 comments

Home improvement tips to enhance the value of your house

By Miles Wiseman posted 3 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
Regardless of whether you want to market your home or make it more comfortable, you can gain a lot in improving your home. The improvements in your home can be: Repair of existing structures the transformation of some parts of the house into a facelift, supplements for your home to improve the quality of life, Do it yourself projects to render a home more energy proficient or environment-friendly. Choosing a home improvement project can seem daunting. But with a few practical tips for improving your home, you may be able to go to the perfect home of your interests. Many of these tips are step by step and enable you to conveniently select a home ...
0 comments

Extending your living space - your annexe building must-knows

By Miles Wiseman posted 3 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
Granny flats have come as a great solution for families who need to look after an elderly family member but want to provide them with their own living space, and maintain privacy for both the senior and the other family members. However, granny annexes aren’t used solely for this purpose. Many homeowners benefit from a spacious back yard, wishing to use the available outdoor space to its maximum potential have pursued such a project and have extended their living space. There are various factors revolving around the matter, and if an annexe construction is something you have been thinking about lately, getting some insights on the subject might be helpful. ...
0 comments

A message to COTE® from the AIA President

By Carl Elefante FAIA posted 7 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
By Carl Elefante, FAIA, 2018 AIA President AIA COTE ® Colleagues, While I’m not with you in Chicago, I’m very much with you in spirit. The desire to elevate sustainability, green building and climate change is what motivated me to give three years to AIA pursuing and serving as President. I believe 2018 will be noted as the year architects recognized that it is up to us to address the intractable issues confronting our communities. Thanks for all the things you are doing in your practices, through AIA COTE ® , and in partnership with other sustainability and green building supporters like USGBC. Your commitment and amazing architecture give ...
0 comments

Your Quest for quick money can end with car title loan

By Haris Saeed posted 8 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
With the increased number of people depending on their pay-check for the living expenses, it has become extremely difficult to deal with the uncertain situation. Emergency medical bills or some surprise expense demands urgent flow of cash and left one with no other option rather than borrowing. People often get exhausted while borrowing money from financial institutions during the crisis. While considering the traditional institute including banks or credit unions one needs to have a good credit score and sound financial condition. The traditional loan process requires one to complete plenty of paperwork and the process is often considered as hectic and time-consuming. ...
0 comments

How to Grow Your Architecture Business

By Bob Gorman posted 8 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
As you are very well aware, architecture is nothing like other businesses in a sense that it takes a lot of time to find reliable clients and finish the projects. After all, what you are selling is nowhere near something available to be ordered and paid for in half an hour or less. Therefore, architecture companies have to develop the right growth strategies in order to thrive, and we have compiled a list of essentials for making your business bigger and more profitable. Set your goals This is where everything starts from. In order to be able to develop strategies or standards for your company, you have to define your long- and short-term aims. Once you ...
0 comments

Evolving Roles of Architects In Society

By A. Lira V. Luis AIA posted 10 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
With the tools, technology, and apps (e.g Room Planner, Homestyler Interior Design) available at everyone’s disposal, it seems like everyone can be a designer, or sometimes those without training in architecture & design want to be the designer — even your clients. Architects with training, view such, as frivolous and cause frustrations on what it takes to be a designer. Yet, put another way, some architects miss to see the evolving roles they play and can play in society. At the recent Greenbuild 2018 conference attended by more than 5,000 architects out of 18,000 attendees, Amal Clooney , lawyer and humanitarian, underscored the impact one person can ...
0 comments

Blueprint for Better Housing: New Urban Agenda

By Philip J. Bona AIA posted 10 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
Image: Quito, Ecuador - United Nations Habitat III Conference on the New Urban Agenda By Phil Bona, AIA In a time of rapid change, generational transitions, and significant global population growth, attainable housing remains a fundamental need and expectation of the human experience. As such, the world’s housing crisis and its impacts on social equity is one of the most difficult challenges facing leaders and policymakers. Habitat III was the third convening of the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development. It took place in Quito, Ecuador in October 2016 and was attended by all member states of the United Nations ...
0 comments

New tool review: Architecture 2030’s Carbon Smart Materials Palette

By Lawrence L. Strain FAIA posted 10 days ago
1 person recommends this.
By Larry Strain, FAIA In 2006, Ed Mazria woke up the design community by pointing out that buildings were responsible for a much larger portion of GHG emissions than we had previously been aware of. The current UN Environment Report puts it at close to 40-28 percent from building operations and 11 percent from the emissions embodied in making buildings. Architecture 2030 created the 2030 Challenge that laid out a road map to get to zero emissions. In the beginning, the 2030 Challenge focused on reducing operational energy and associated GHG emissions--the AIA 2030 Commitment is about reducing the operational energy and carbon emissions of our buildings. ...
0 comments

New AIA COTE® Advocacy opportunities in 2019

By Michael R. Davis FAIA posted 10 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
By @Michael R. Davis FAIA Looking back at AIA COTE ® federal advocacy efforts in 2018, most of our work was writing and delivering statements of opposition to planned EPA and Administration actions that we believed were diametrically opposed to AIA COTE ® ’s principles. We opposed the EPA’s “Affordable Clean Energy Rule” (a rollback of the Clean Power Plan), the “Significant New Use Rule” that proposed new avenues for approving the use of asbestos, the proposed de-regulation of hydrofluorocarbon leakage from refrigerant systems, and the elimination of the words “climate change” from FEMA’s strategic planning documents. We also worked with the AIA President ...
0 comments

An architect’s field reports

By Michael E. Plottel FAIA posted 10 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
An architect’s field reports By Michael Plottel, FAIA, LEED AP A CCA white paper, submitted November 6, 2018   Almost no one ever reads a field report, except when things go really wrong. Think of field reports as the “black box recorder” of the construction process, or the unsung hero of effective construction contract administration. The architect—via the field report—tracks progress, monitors conformance to design intent, provides a record of work underway, and (when methodically kept) offers protection in disputes stemming from builder errors and omissions. Keeping a consistent record of field activities across your entire practice is a ...
0 comments

Letter from the Chair - December 2018

By Angela C. Brooks FAIA, LEED AP posted 11 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
Dear COTE ® Colleagues, My final newsletter of the year is dedicated to the amazing COTE ®  advisory board, the incoming 2019 Chair Marsha Maytum and Mary Ann Lazarus, past chair. The best part of collaborating with this amazing group of people is the friendships I have made. We have accomplished so much this year and built a momentum that will continue for years to come. My hope is that we will continue to be linked with the depth of knowledge and expertise that exists within the AIA COTE ® network of past, present and future members! It is with a sense of urgency that I summarize my thoughts for you on the recently released Fourth National ...
0 comments

When you adopt the 2018 IgCC…

By Paul Karrer posted 14 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
By Christopher E. Chwedyk, AIA , Nov 26, 2018 The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is informing state and local jurisdictions that it is critical to adopt Appendix H along with the recently released 2018 International Green Construction Code (IgCC), which now incorporates ASHRAE Standard 189.1. By adopting Appendix H and IgCC, jurisdictions will comprehensively address every aspect of sustainable design; modernize building codes by ameliorating current challenges to sustainable design; and coordinate the energy requirements of the 2018 IgCC with the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). Additionally, Appendix H is also essential as it will ...
0 comments

Editor’s corner

By Kimberly N. Montague AIA posted 16 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
"Learning never exhausts the mind." ~ Leonardo da Vinci As is the tradition each July, the Academy of Architecture for Health and American College of Healthcare Architects hold the annual Summer Leadership Summit (SLS). A venue created for learning, sharing, and networking, this year’s event focused on design success, and as usual, did not disappoint. With keynote speakers such as Dr. Paul Tang talking about artificial intelligence and its influence on the care process, to Kaiser Permanente talking about communities investing in healthcare; to the esteemed panel from the Center for Health Design emphasizing the influence of design on outcome measures; ...
0 comments

Our experiences as Summer Leadership Summit Next Generation Scholars

By Isabella Rosse posted 16 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
Our 2018 Summer Leadership Summit (SLS) Next Generation Scholars provided the Academy with a write up on their experiences of being a scholar and attending the SLS conference for the first time. By Caitlin Cashner, AIA | Payette I wrote in my letter to the scholarship committee that if I were given the opportunity to participate in the Summer Leadership Summit that I hoped to join a forum that allows for healthcare architects to zoom back out from the specifics of day-to-day tasks to understand the significant role our work plays in the built environment. The conference certainly provided that moment for me. Often during the presentations, I found ...
0 comments